Kenneth Doolin

On September 8, after a lengthy battle with dementia and then lymphoma, Kenneth John Doolin entered the arms of his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. While we will miss him, our hope in Jesus gives our family confidence that we will be reunited in the kingdom of heaven.

Born to Jack & Florence Doolin, Ken began his journey on November 30, 1941, in Portland, OR, where he lived on a small farm throughout his childhood, gaining a love for gardening and hard work. He attended Portsmouth Elementary & John Jacob Astor Elementary before transitioning to Dale J. Ickes Jr. High. He then spent 2 years at Milwaukie High. Once Clackamas High was built, he concluded his public education there, graduating in 1959. While attending Clackamas High, he lettered in golf.

After graduating high school, he attended one year at Portland State University before enlisting in the Army, where he served from June 20, 1960 to May 16, 1963. He spent much of his military time in Hawaii at Scofield Barracks. Toward the end of his three years, his platoon went to Thailand on maneuvers and was then extended to be there for 4 months. His stories from those days kept his children entertained for hours. After his honorable discharge, he returned to the Portland area and began dating Beth Marvin in December of 1963. He and Beth exchanged vows on August 20, 1965, and he loved her faithfully for 58 incredible years. He often asked for her in his final days, a testament to a love that endured, even when his mind no longer comprehended most of reality.

Before dating Beth, Ken felt God calling him to the ministry, but he walked away from that calling. Toward the end of his military stint, God transformed his heart and he renewed his commitment to the ministry, so he finished a year at Cascade College and then continued his education at Multnomah School of the Bible (now Multnomah Bible College) graduating in May 1967 with a Th.B. He concluded his education at Western Conservative Baptist Theological Seminary in Portland, graduating in May 1970 with a Master of Divinity degree.

During his senior year at Western, he occasionally preached in a church that needed a pastor. One of the churches he preached at (Condon Baptist Church) called him to be their pastor. He graduated on May 12, 1970, from Western and was moved to Condon on May 14 followed shortly thereafter by the birth of his daughter Cheryl on June 16th. Tim followed in July 1972, and Steve arrived in April 1975.

His time in the ministry spanned 44 years. He served Condon Baptist Church from May 1970 to November 1973, before he accepted a position at Bible Baptist Church in Astoria, Oregon where he served from November 1973 to April 1980. He was called to Tacoma, Washington to pastor a fledgling congregation at South Pacific Baptist Church (which later moved and changed its name to New Life Fellowship) from April 1980 to July 1991, and then accepted a call to First Baptist Church of Sheridan, Wyoming in August 1991. He served the church in Sheridan until his retirement on May 31, 2009. Interim pastorates completed his ministry, spending 6 months as interim pastor at Grace Baptist Church, in Buffalo, Wyoming, and 2 ½-years as interim pastor at Bethel Baptist Church in Torrington. He stepped away from ministry for good on July 31, 2014, as he began to experience the first symptoms of dementia.

Ken will always be remembered for his humility and his desire to serve others. He had a “shepherd’s heart”. He disliked the limelight, preferring to lead by example. Folks knew he loved and cared for them, and his congregation always became an extension of the family. He never knew a stranger. He was also quite a prankster and joker, possessing an incredible vocabulary, which allowed him to use one-liners and other forms of humor to diffuse tensions and keep an audience laughing. His booming belly laugh filled a room, and many found it contagious. His children considered him to be the originator of “dad jokes”.

Ken loved the outdoors, especially fishing, and it was with great enjoyment that he plied the waters of the Pacific Northwest and then Wyoming with his lure or fly; perhaps his greatest joy came from sharing that love with his children and grandchildren. He backpacked extensively in the Wallowa Mountains of Oregon and relished hunting season and the time he could spend pursuing games with his family. For years, he was seldom seen without a camera, and to the surprise of many, he had an excellent singing voice and played a rousing rendition of the 12th Street Rag.

Ken was preceded in death by his parents, Jack and Florence, and a nephew, Peter. He is survived by his wife, Beth, of 58 years, his daughter Cheryl (Scott) Maiorca and their boys Breydon, Jude, and Roegen of Papillion, NE, His oldest son Tim (Jenn) of Sheridan, Wyoming, his youngest son Steve (Chaney) and their children DJ, McKenna, Justus, Zachary, and Jaxson of Blair, NE, and his sister Liz (Jim) Thares of Sauk Rapids, MN.

He has chosen to donate his body to science to be used by one of the medical schools in Omaha. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in his name to Reach Church, Outreach fund, P.O. Box 219, Blair, NE 68008 or Legacy Pregnancy Center in Sheridan, 847 Coffeen Ave, Sheridan, WY 82801.

A celebration of life service be held in Sheridan, on September 30th at 11:00 AM at First Baptist Church, 3179 Big Horn Ave.